Collapsible serving or carrying tray



May 4, 1965 M. J. coE

COLLAPSIBLE SERVING OR CARRYING TRAY .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28, 1962 INVENTOR. Mer/W/ J Cae A TTORNEY.

May 4, 1965 M. J. COE 3,181,770

COLLAPSIBLE SERVING OR CARRYING TRAY Filed Sept. 28, 1962 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 q f i f mum 5 "mm.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,181,770 COLLAPSIBLE SERVING OR CARRYlNG TRAY Merrill J. Coe, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to KVP Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich. Filed Sept. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 226,796 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-30) This invention relates to a collapsible serving or carrying tray. The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a collapsible serving or carrying tray which may be quickly erected from its collapsed position and when erected is strong and rigid and capable of carrying material of substantial weight.

Second, to provide a collapsible serving or carrying tray having these advantages which may be formed of relatively light weight paperboard stock and one in which there isv no waste of stock.

Third, to provide a collapsible serving or carrying tray having these advantages which may be quickly and easily erected and one in which the parts which hold the tray in erected position are so disposed that they are not disengaged or likely to be displaced in the use of the tray.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a serving and carrying tray embodying my invention in its erected position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the erected tray.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section on a line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section on a line corresponding to line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on a line corresponding to line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the structure in collapsed position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the blank with slits and folding lines conventionally illustrated.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in formed of an integral blank, the embodiment illustrated being formed of paperboard blank designated generally by the numeral 1 in FIG. 8, and comprises the bottom 2 formed of sections 3 and 4 which are disposed with portions thereof in overlapping relation and adhesively secured together, adhesive being conventionally illustrated at 5, FIGS. 6 and 8. The side walls 6 are connected to the bottom portions 3 and 4 by the folding scores 7 and the laterally spaced top members 8 are connected to the top upper edges of the side Walls by the score lines 9.

The transverse partition and strut members 19 are hingedly connected to the inner edges of the top members by the folding scores at 11. These partition and strut members 10 are of a vertical width corresponding to the vertical width of the side walls and when in erected position their end edges 12 are in supporting engagement with the inner sides of the side walls. These partition and strut members 10 have flaps 13 hingedly connected to their lower edges at 14, these flaps having projecting lug portions 15 which engage slot-like keeper openings 16 positioned in the side walls to receive the lugs, see

FIGS. 1, 2 and 6.

These partition and strut members 10 are spaced to provide a central material receiving compartment. The top members 8 are duplicates and theyv constitute tie or connecting members for the upper edges of the side walls.

These top members 8 are slit to provide receptacle receiving openings designated generally by the numeral 18, and to provide longitudinally disposed strut elements 3,181,770 Patented May 4, 1965 2 19 and 20 which are adjustably connected to the top members 8 by the parallel scores 21, see FIGS. 7 and 8. The strut element 19 is provided with a bottom engaging flap 22 which is adhesively secured to the bottom, as is conventionally indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The strut element 19 has a tongue 24 projecting toward the strut element 20 so that when the strut elements 19 and 20 are in erected position the bottom engaging flaps 23 of the strut elements 20 are disposed under these tongues 24 on the strut elements 19, see FIGS. 3 and 4.

With the parts thus arranged, the structure when erected is effectively maintained in its erected position and cannot be collapsed under ordinary use conditions, either transversely or longitudinally. It will be understood that the terms longitudinal and transverse are used to facilitate description of the parts and that the size and shape may be greatly varied.

The top members 8 are desirably provided with receptacle holding flaps 25 flexibly connected to the upper edges of the side Walls at 26. In this embodiment the bottom is provided with slits 27 disposed centrally below the receptacle receiving openings, and they may be knocked out or removed to receive the lower ends of receptacles but that feature forms no part of this invention.

I have illustrated and desiribed my invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate and describe certain modifications and structural details, as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in' the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A collapsible tray formed of an integral blank comprising a bottom, side walls hingedly connected to opposed side edges of the bottom, laterally spaced top members hingedly connected to the side walls, the bottom be ing constituted by opposed end sections 'of the blank, edge portions of which are disposed in overlapping relation and secured together, transverse partition and strut members of a vertical width corresponding to the vertical width of the side walls hingedly connected to the inner edges of the top members and disposed when' in erected position with their end edges in supporting engagement with the inner sides of the side walls, said partition and strut members having flaps on their bottom edges disposed in engagement with the bottom and having projecting lugs on their ends, said side walls having slot-like openings therein with which said lugs are engaged when said partition and strut members are in erected position, said top members being slit to provide receptacle receiving openings and to provide pairs of longitudinal strut elements hingedly connected to the portions of the top members between the receptacle receiving openings therein, said longitudinal strut elements having bottom engaging flaps on their swinging edges disposed to project in the same direction from the strut elements, the flap of one strut element of the pair being fixedly secured to the bottom and having a tongue projecting oppositely from its flap with which the flap of the other strut element of the pair is engaged when the struts are in erected position.

2. A collapsible tray formed of an integral blank comprising a bottom, side walls hingedly connecting to opposed side edges of the bottom, laterally spaced top members hingedly connected to the side walls, the bottom being constituted by opposed end sections of the blank,

edge portions of which are disposed in overlapping relaedges of the top members and disposed when in erected position with their end edges in supporting engagement with the inner sides of the side walls, said partition and strut members having flaps on their bottom edges dis posed in engagement with the bottom, said top members being slit to provide receptacle receiving openings and to provide pairs of longitudinal strut elements hingedly connected to the portions of the top members between the receptacle receiving openings therein, said longitudinal strut elements having bottom engaging flaps on their swinging edges disposed to project in the same direction from the strut elements, the flap of one strut element of the pair being fixedly secured to the bottom and having a tongue projecting oppositely from its flap with which the flap of the other strut element of the pair is engaged when the struts are in erected position.

3. A collapsible tray formed of an integral blank comprising a bottom, side walls hingedly connected to opposed side edges of the bottom, laterally spaced top members hingedly connected to the side walls, transverse strut members of a length corresponding to the width of the tray hingedly connected to the inner edges of the top members and disposed when in erected position with their end edges in supporting engagement with the inner sides of the side walls and having laterally projecting 20 lugs thereon, said side walls having keeper openings therein with which said lugs are engaged when said transverse strut members are in erected position, said top members having receptacle receiving openings and having pairs of integral bottom engaging longitudinally extending laterally spaced strut elements hingedly connected to the portions of the top members between the receptacle receiving openings therein, each pair of said longitudinal strut elements having inter-engaging parts when the tray is in erected position which coact to hold them in substantially parallel laterally spaced relation when the tray is erected, one only of said inter-engaging strut elements being fixedly and hingedly connected to the bottom said strut elements being portions of the top struck out therefrom to provide said receptacle receiving openings.

Retercnces Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,732,994 1/56 Anderson 206-72 3,005,584 10/61 Coe 206-72 3,009,623 11/61 Wenzel 229-28 FOREIGN PATENTS 649,414 1/51 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. 

3. A COLLAPSIBLE TRAY FORMED OF AN INTEGRAL BLANK COMPRISING A BOTTOM, SIDE WALLS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO OPPOSED SIDE EDGES OF THE BOTTOM, LATERALLY SPACED TOP MEMBERS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE SIDE WALLS, TRANSVERSE STRUT MEMBERS OF A LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF THE TRAY HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE INNER EDGES OF THE TOP MEMBERS AND DISPOSED WHEN IN ERECTED POSITION WITH THEIR END EDGES IN SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SIDES OF THE SIDE WALLS AND HAVING LATERALLY PROJECTING LUGS THEREON, SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING KEEPER OPENINGS THEREIN WITH WHICH SAID LUGS ARE ENGAGED WHEN SAID TRANSVERSE STRUT MEMBERS ARE IN ERECTED POSITION, SAID TOP MEMBERS HAVING RECEPTACLE RECEIVING OPENINGS AND HAVING PAIRS OF INTEGRAL BOTTOM ENGAGING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LATERALLY SPACED STRUT ELEMENTS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE PORTIONS OF THE TOP MEMBERS BETWEEN THE RECEPTACLE RECEIVING OPENINGS THEREIN, EACH PAIR OF SAID LONGITUDINAL STRUT ELEMENTS HAVING INTER-ENGAGING PARTS WHEN THE TRAY IS IN ERECTED POSITION WHICH COACT TO HOLD THEM IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LATERALLY SPACED RELATION WHEN THE TRAY IS ERECTED, ONE ONLY OF SAID INTER-ENGAGING STRUT ELEMENTS BEING FIXEDLY AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM SAID STRUT ELEMENTS BEING PORTIONS OF THE TOP STRUCK OUT THEREFROM TO PROVIDE SAID RECEPTACLE RECEIVING OPENINGS. 